Commissioners discuss new county prisoner per-diem resolution and need to renegotiate interlocal with Junction City

Geary County commissioners discussed a proposed resolution to set the county prisoner per-diem rate and whether the county’s interlocal agreement with Junction City should be renegotiated to reflect the change.

Staff said the proposed resolution had been circulated and that, according to the meeting record, a rate figure was referenced in the transcript as “10702.” Commissioners noted the county must ensure statutory matching requirements are satisfied and that any change would affect billing to cities and how the county charges for prisoners and work-release.

Commissioners and staff agreed not to rush adoption. Staff advised that the county should consult the sheriff and Junction City officials because the interlocal agreement for prisoner housing and dispatch services is expired and would need renegotiation if the county sets a new per-diem rate. One county official said the change “will affect the revenue a lot,” and commissioners discussed the need to reconcile the interlocal terms with any new resolution.

The commission did not adopt the resolution at the meeting. Staff said they would not finalize the interlocal until the resolution and statute alignment are clarified and recommended bringing the sheriff and city representatives into the discussion. The transcript included reference to a 1987 resolution and an expectation that the county should maintain up-to-date resolutions and work-release agreements.

No specific numeric per-diem rate was adopted during the meeting; the transcript used several inconsistent numeric references and staff indicated the exact format and statutory citation needed verification before the commission takes formal action.